Apparatus for cleaning bags



Jan. 23, 1934. R, B, RAHBUN 1,944,268

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING AGS Filed April 23, 19:51' 4 sheets-smet 1 vwamoz 205s ahun 33111145 6mm@ il' t A vf Jan. 23, 1934. R. B, RATHBUN 1,944,268

APPARATUS FOR-CLEANING BAGS I Filed April 23, 1931 l 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Snoemoz 32,11115 @www v hlm.. 217053 .B Zailzlfun Jan. 23, .1934. R. B. RATHBUN APPARATUS FOR CLEANING BAGS .Filed April 25, 1931 4 SheetsSheei'l 3 Jan- 23, 1934- R. B. RA'HBUN APPARATUS FOR CLEANING BAGS 4 sheds-sheet 4 Filed April 25, 1931 59565 21h/11am,

Patented Jan. 23, 1934 1,944,268 APPARATUS Fon oLEANiNG BAGS Ross Buxton Rathbun, El Paso, Tex., assignor to American Smelting and Refining Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application April 23, 1931. Serial No. 532,254

14 Claims.

The invention relates to the separation of solids from gases, and more particularly to bag houses such as are used in connection with the smelting and refining of metals.

According to one form of practicing the invention, a bag house is provided which may be similar to those now used in which a plurality of bags are suspended vertically, the bags being connected at their lower end to the pressure lo chamber or header to which the fume laden gases are supplied. The gas passes into the inside of the bags and through them, depositing the fume on the inside surfaces.

For cleaning the bags, one or more suction heads may be permanently and movably mounted Within each bag and connected to a suitable source of vacuum for creating a suction on the inside surfaces of the bags. Suitable devices may be provided for slowly moving the suction heads up and down the length of the bags to keep the entire surface thereof clean.

If desired, the bags may be arranged in pairs and the suction heads of each pair may be suspended from a suitable cable which passes over a pulley so that rotation of the pulley will cause the raising of the suction head in one bag and lowering the suction head in the other bag. The pairs of bags may be so arranged that a plurality of pulleys may be .mounted onthe same shaft and, if desired, a plurality of sets or sections of bags, each run by a single shaft, may be provided, all of them being operated by a single prime mover and controlled by suitable limiting and reversing devices.

Suitable suction headers may be connected to the several suction heads and to the suction pump which may discharge the fume into a 'suitable separating device, such as a centrifugal cyclone separator. If desired, the comparatively small amount of gas fed to the separator may be recycled back to the original source of gas and fume.

'Ihe suction heads are preferably so constructed as to resiliently or yieldably press outwardly against the fabric of the bags to obtain proper cleaning action. l

The invention also consists in certain new and original features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention will be particularly pointed out in theclaims appended hereto, the invention itself, as to its objects and advantages, and the manner in which 55 it may be carried out, may be better understood (Cl. 18S-61) byreferring to the following description taken in connection with 'the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, in which Fig. 1 represents a section through a bag house constructed according to the invention;

Fig. 2 represents a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a detail elevation illustrating some of the apparatus;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the line 5 5 o'f Fig. l;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged section of one of the bags;

Fig. 7 represents diagrammatically the system of the invention;

Fig. 8 is a detail representing a compound suction head;

Fig. 9 is a section on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a detail of one of the suction heads;

Fig. 11 is a section on the line 11-11 of Fig. 10;

Fig. 12 is a side view of the suction head shown in Fig. 10;

Fig. 13 is asection on the line 13-13 of Fig. 10; and

Fig. 14 illustrates a modied form of suction head.

In the following description and in the claims. various details will be identied by specific names for convenience, but they are intended to be as generic in their application as the art will permit.

Like reference characters denote like parts in the several gures of the drawings.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification, certain specific disclosure of the invention is made for purposes of explanation, but it will be understood that the details may be modified in various respects without departure from the broad aspect of the invention. l

Referring'rst to Fig. 7, the main ue, which contains the solid particles and the gas in which they are suspended, is denoted by 10. This mixture of gas and fume may result from any of the well-known metallurgical processes which produce this material. A fan or blower 11 forces the mixture of fume and gas into a header 12 to which a plurality of bags 13 are connected. These bags may be of wool or any other suitable material well known in the art and may be relatively long and narrow and suspended from suitable structural members indicated by 14.

Slidably mounted within the bag 13 is a suitable compound suction device 18 comprising a pair 0f Suction heads l5 and supported by a. cable 17 whicln runs over a suitable drum or pulley 19 driven by a suitable m'otor 20. By rotating the motor 20 the suction device 18 may be moved from one end of the bag to the other to thoroughly clean it.

Projecting downwardly from the suction device 18 is a stationary pipe 16 which connects with the separating device 22 which may be of the cyclone type having a conical portion 24 delivering the separated solid into a container 25.

For creating .the suction in the suction heads 15 a centrifugal pump 21 is provided connected to the separator 22 by pipe 26 and delivering the comparatively small amount of gas from the separator 22 back into the main flue 10.

Referring now to Figs. l to 4, apparatus is/ shown. for utilizing the invention commercially. The bag house, as indicated, is provided with a plurality of vertical sections 30 and 31 at the lower part of which is a pressure chamber 32 to which the gas and fume is supplied. Each section has an upper chamber 33 separated from the pressure chamber 32 by a wall 135 to which the bags 34 are secured.

Referring now to Fig. 6 wherein a single bag is shown to illustrate the construction thereof. The bag is denoted by 34 and is connected to the pressure chamber 32, as indicated. The top of the fabric bag 34 is closed by a disc 35 and a band 36 clamps the fabric thereto. A plurality of cables 37 suspends the bag from the supporting structure of the bag house.

Disposed in the bag is a compound suction head made up of heads 39 and 40 connected by a hollow sleeve 38 and suspended by cable 44 which passes over a suitable pulley 235 (Figs. .1 and 2) to connect with a similar suction head in the other bag of the pair.

Telescoping within the sleeve 38 is a stationary pipe 41 which is connected to the headers 65 (Fig. 2) which deliver the fume to the suction pump 66.

Referring to Fig. 8, it will be seen that a suitable gland structure, indicated by 42, seals the sliding connection between pipe 41 and sleeve 38 and that a plurality of flanges 43 keep the pipe 41 properly centered within sieeve 38.

Referring now also to Figs. 19 to i3, each suction head 39 or 40 comprises three arcuate sections 47, each of which is made up of a pair of sections 46 suitably bolted together and leaving a crack or slot 47 through which to suck the fume. Each section 47 is connected to an inner telescoping tube 48 which slides within an outer tube 49, which is connected to the sleeve 38. A coil spring 50 resiliently holds each section 47 against the wall of the bag.

The inner tube 48 may be provided with a pin which works in a slot in outer tube 49 to prevent rotation of the section 47. t will be noted that the individual sections 47 are tapered toward their ends so as to maintain as uniform a velocity throughout the length of the slot 47 as possible, and that the individual sections 45 overlap at their ends to insure thorough cleaning action around the entire circumference of the bag.

Referring now to Fig. 14, a modied suction head is shown which comprises a plurality of sections 6l having slots or openings 62 and connected to projecting tubes on sleeve 38 by flexible hoses 63. The construction of the individual sections 6l may be similar to sections 45 above described or they may be made in one piece, as shown. In this modification the weight of the sections 61, together with the flexibility of the hoses 63. is utilized to exert the propel,` Pressure against the wall of the bag 34.

Referring now back to Figs. 1 to 4, the main supplypipe for supplying the fume and gas is denoted by 69, the arrows denoting the direction of travel of the gas and fume throughout the system. The fume may be` fed from both ends and each end is controlled by a damper 73 or 74 to admit the gas and fume into blower 71 through pipe 70. The blower 71 is driven by a suitable motor 72 and delivers the gas and fume into the pressure chambers`32 of sections 30 and 31, as indicated particularly in Fig. 3.-

The cleaned gases passing through the fabric of the bag may be either wasted or delivered to any other desired apparatus for reclaiming any values therein. The fume, which is sucked by the suction heads in the several bags, is delivered by pipes to suction blower 66, thence through discharge pipe 80 into a separator 67 which may be of cyclone type, which utilizes centrifugal force to separate the solids from the gases. The solids drop to the bottom of the separator whence they may be carried away by screw conveyor 68. The comparatively small amount of resultant gases may be fed by pipe 79 back into the fume pipe 69 between the dampers 73 and 74, as indicated particularly in Fig. 5.

For moving the suction heads up and down within the bags a plurality of shafts 75 are provided, supporting pulleys 235 over each of which runs a cable 44 which simultaneously raises the suction head of one bag and lowers the suction head of the other bag of the pair. As many pulleys 235 as desired may be mounted on each shaft 75 and the several shafts 75 may be driven by a single main shaft 76 which is driven by a suitable motor 77 through suitable reduction gearing and Second-The separation of the fume from the smaller volume of gas by the centrifugal separator.

There are numerous advantages to be gained from practicing the present invention. For instance, the main blower 7l does not have to be stopped while the fume is being removed from the bag. Furthermore, the fume is removed more or less continuously so that the bags are kept cleaner, resulting in a much larger handling capacity for the same size bags. Furthermore, continuous operation of the process keeps the pressure in the pressure chambers substantially constant so that the process is always carried on at pressures which give maximum eciency.

While certain novel features of the invention have been disclosed and are pointed out in the annexed claims, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In separating apparatus, a bag house having a bag chamber, a plurality of bags disposed vertically in said bag chamber, a pressure chamber under said bag chamber communicating with the bottoms of said bags, suction heads in said bags, drive shafts above said bags, pulleys on' said drive shafts, one pulley for every two bags, a cable passing over each pulley and connected to the suction heads of the corresponding two bags, conduits connected to said suction heads and passing out of the lower ends of the bags, and means for applying suction to said conduits.

2. In combination, a pair of bags, a fluid cleaning device in each bag, an operating device for the cleaning devices of said pair of bags, and connected to said cleaning devices, and means for imparting motion to said operating device, first in one direction and then in the other to move alternately inwardly and outwardly the cleaning'device of each bag, the cleaning device of one bag moving inwardly while that of the other moves outwardly.

3. In a bag house, a pair of vertical bags, a suction device in each bag, a pulley for said pair of bags, a cable passing over said pulley and supporting both said suction devices, and means for imparting rotation to said pulley, rst in one direction and then in the other to alternately raise and lower the suction head in each bag.

4. A suction head for bag cleaning comprising a plurality of sections, a central portion to which the suction source is connected, and conduits yieldably and individually connect'ng said central portion with said sections to press said sections against the bag, said sections each tapering smaller at the ends thereof to maintain substantially uniform velocity and said sections overlapping at the ends.

5. In cleaning apparatus, a bag. a suction device whose size is substantially half the length of the bag, said suction device comprising spaced suction heads, a conduit telescoping with said suction device and passing out of said bag, means for relatively moving said bag and suction device and means for applying suction to said conduit.

6. In cleaning apparatus, a comparatively long and slender bag, a suction device whos length --is substantially half the length of the b g, said suction device comprising an upper suction head and a lower suction head, a stationary' conduit telescoping within said suction device and passing out through the bottom of said bag, and an operating member passing through the top of said bag for supporting said suction device and for moving it up and down.

'7. In a bag house, a bag chamber, a pressure chamber, a plurality of bags in said bag chamber and communicating with said pressure chamber, means for supplying said pressure chamber with gas and fume, a suction device in each bag, Ya suction pump, a conduit leading from each suction device to said suction pump, a driv'ng device located above the top of each of said .bags for moving said suction devices to clean the inside surface of said bags, a shaft extending along a row of bags connected to each of said driving devices, and a source oi'power for driving said shaft.

8. In cleaning apparatus, a bag, a pneumatic cleaning device whose size is less than the length of the bag, said cleaning device comprising spaced cleaning heads, a conduit telescoping said cleaning device and passing out of said bag, and means for relatively moving said bag and cleaning device lengthwise of the bag.

9. In cleaning apparatus, a lter medium, a cleaning head comprising a nozzle pressing against said lter medium, a supporting portion for connection to a pneumatic source, a flexible conduit connecting said nozzle and said supporting portion, said conduit extending upwardly from said supporting `portion to said nozzle, whereby the weight of said nozzle acts to assist in yieldably holding said nozzle against the filter medium.

10. In bag cleaning apparatus, a cylindrical bag, a cleaning head comprising a plurality of nozzle sections forming an annular ring, said sections being disposed substantially end to end, a central portion for connection to a pneumatic source, and individual flexible conduits connecting respectively the several sections and said central portion, said conduits extending upwardly from said central portion to said sections, whereby the weight of said sections acts to assist in yieldably holding said sections against the bag wall.

11. In cleaning apparatus, a lter medium, a cleaning -device comprising a plurality of nozzle sections overlapping each other at the' ends thereof, but being disposed in adjoining relation, a supporting portion for connection to a pneumatic source, and individual conduits connecting respectively said supporting portion and said sections, and means for moving said cleaning device relatively to said filter medium in a direc- `tion transverse to the direction of disposition of rtion and said sections.

13. In cleaning apparatus, a filter medium, a cleaning head comprising a nozzle section Ahaving a narrow slot adjacent the'surface of the lter medium, a conduit for connection to a pneumatic source and attached to said nozzle section, the cross section of said nozzle section becoming smaller with distance from said conduit, whereby the velocity of the gas passing through said slot is substantially equalized along the entire length thereof, and means for passing a particle-laden gas through saidlter medium to deposit the particles on -said filter medium.

14. In\cleaning apparatus, a bag, a cleaning head having a slot adjacent the inside wall of the bag, means for moving said head axially of the bag, a stationary conduit for connection to a pneumatic source, and means for telescopically connecting said cleaning head and stationary conduit.

ROSS BUX-TON RATHBUN. 

